Choctaw City, aka Arkinda, of Little River County, Arkansas

The "Geographically Correct County Map of the Cotton Belt Route and Connections," published ca. 1900, indicates "Choctaw City" in far west Little River County, Arkansas. But that Choctaw City is no longer on any modern maps. Link to the map from the Ruderman collection is here.

As I was perusing the "Geographically Correct County Map of the Cotton Belt Route and Connections," a decidedly incorrect map that was published by the St. Louis and Southwestern Railway about 1900, I came across Choctaw City in far western Little River County, Arkansas. Sitting right at the edge of Arkansas and (at that point in time), Indian Territory along a railroad line, I wondered what happened to it, because there is no longer a Choctaw City in Little River County.

Choctaw City was platted by the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway Company around 1895 to link Indian Territory to Ashdown. In 1899, the railroad began a 150-mile extension into Indian Territory. The region, rich in cotton-growing land and home to the largest and thickest forest of old-growth trees in the Red River valley, enjoyed an economic boom due to the railroad during the first half of the 20th century.

By 1901-ish, the town called Choctaw City became interchangeable with its newer moniker, Arkinda. A play on its geographic location at the border of Arkansas and Indian Territory, Arkinda is not much of a town anymore. For a while, though, Choctaw City aka Arkinda had some real news to report.

In 1901, an unnamed Justice of the Peace shot and killed Bob Cozier, "a prosperous farmer," during a drunken melee inside one of many saloons in Choctaw City aka Arkinda.

In March of 1902, a woman was assaulted by five men at Arkinda, who "owing to the prominence of the parties the matter is being kept as quiet as possible."

In September of 1902, a train carrying the Sells & Downs Circus collided with a freight town. Due to a night-time storm, the freight train's engineer could not see the circus train, which had parked on the main track and had no lights. Two circus crew members were killed in the collision, and injured performers later sued the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway Company for damages.

Today, you'll have to WANT to go to Arkinda to get to Arkinda, formerly known as Choctaw City in Little River County. The road that parallels the train tracks becomes unpaved once it enters McCurtain County, Oklahoma, where it passes by the now-ghost towns of America and Moon and reaches Valliant (McCurtain County) and Hugo (Choctaw County). Now, the tracks for the former Arkansas and Choctaw Railroad, which eventually became part of the Frisco Railway system, are used by the Kiamichi Railroad. However, no train stops at Choctaw City aka Arkinda any more.

The new depot for the Arkansas and Choctaw Railroad at Valliant in McCurtain County, Indian Territory, erected in 1902, was probably very similar in look to the depot that once stood in Choctaw City aka Arkinda. This photo stems from the Kenny Sivard Collection of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Arkinda, formerly known as Choctaw City, is still a township in the far western reaches of Little River County. In this 1952 geological map, it's easy to see its downtown business district. Today, not much of the town remains.